Note the washers above and below the
contact assembly (photos).
23Fit the new contact assembly by reversing
the removal operations.
24Although the points gap is normally set in
production, check it using feeler blades when
the plastic heel of the movable arm is on a
high point of the shaft cam. Adjust if
necessary by inserting an Allen key (3.0 mm)
into the socket-headed adjuster screw.
25Carry out the operations described in
paragraphs 14 to 17 in this Section.
3 Dwell angle- checking
3
The dwell angle is the number of degrees
through which the distributor cam turns
between the instants of closure and opening
of the contact breaker points.
1Connect a dwell meter in accordance with
the maker’s instruction. The type of meter that
operates with the engine running is to be
preferred; any variation in contact breaker
gap, caused by wear in the distributor shaft or
bushes, or the height of the distributor cam
peaks, is evened out when using this.
2The correct dwell angle is given in the
Specifications at the beginning of this
Chapter. If the angle is too large, increase the
contact points gap. If the angle is too small,
reduce the points gap. Only very slight
adjustments should be made to the gap
before re-checking.3On Ducellier distributors, adjustment of the
dwell angle can only be carried out by
switching off the ignition, removing the
distributor cap, rotor and spark shield and
adjusting the points gap.
4Re-check once the engine is running.
Adjustment may have to be carried out
several times to obtain the correct dwell
angle.
5On Marelli distributors, adjustment of the
points gap (dwell angle) is carried out with the
engine running by inserting a 3.0 mm Allen
key in the hole provided in the distributor
body.
6Always check and adjust the dwell angle
before timing the ignition as described in
Section 4.
4 Ignition timing
3
1Timing the ignition on engines with
mechanical breaker distributors is carried out
in the following way.
2Disconnect the vacuum hose from the
distributor diaphragm capsule (photo).
3Have the engine at normal operating
temperature and idling with a stroboscope
connected in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions.
4Point the stroboscope at the timing marks
on the flywheel and the index on the aperture
on the flywheel housing. The mark on the
flywheel should be opposite to the BTDC
mark on the index specified for your particular
engine. Alternatively, use the notch on the
crankshaft pulley and the marks on the timing
belt cover (photo), but this will necessitate
removal of the wheel arch shield.
5If the marks are not in alignment, release
the distributor clamp plate and turn the
distributor gently until they are (photo).
6Tighten the clamp plate nut, switch off the
ignition, reconnect the vacuum hose and
remove the stroboscope.
7If there is any difficulty in seeing the timing
marks clearly, highlight them by painting with
quick-drying white paint.
4•4 Ignition system
4.4 Ignition timing marks on belt coverFig. 4.5 Flywheel housing timing marks
(Sec 4)4.2 Distributor vacuum hose
Fig. 4.4 Adjusting Marelli type contact
breaker points gap (Sec 2)
Fig. 4.3 Marelli contact breaker (Sec 2)
2.22B Washers above contact breaker2.22A Marelli contact breaker E-clip
Note: Before diagnosing steering faults, be
sure that trouble is not due to incorrect or
uneven tyre pressures, inappropriate tyre
combinations, or braking system or
suspension defects.
Car pulls to one side
m mIncorrect steering geometry
m mCollision damage
Vibration at steering wheel
m
mRoadwheels out of balance or loose
m mTyre damage
m mLoose driveshaft-to-hub nuts
Car wanders
m
mPlay in steering gear
m mWear in steering balljoints
Heavy or stiff steering
m
mLack of lubricant in steering gear or balljoints
m mIncorrect steering geometry
m mCollision damage
Play at steering wheel
m
mWear in steering rack or balljoints
m mLoose steering shaft coupling pinch-bolt or
worn splines
m mWorn steering column/shaft universal joints
Rattles from steering
m
mSteering damper defective or in need of
adjustment
m mLoose steering column mounting bolts
m mLoose steering column/shaft coupling
pinch-bolts
m mLoose steering rack housing mounting bolts
m mWorn steering shaft bushes
Excessive or uneven tyre wear
m
mIncorrect steering geometry
m mWorn steering components
m mCollision damage wear. Before considering the steering angles,
check that the tyres are correctly inflated, that
the front wheels are not buckled, the hub
bearings are not worn or incorrectly adjusted
and that the steering linkage is in good order,
without slackness or wear at the joints.
2Wheel alignment consists of four factors:
Camber, is the angle at which the road
wheels are set from the vertical when viewed
from the front or rear of the vehicle. Positive
camber is the angle (in degrees) that the wheels
are tilted outwards at the top from the vertical.
Castor, is the angle between the steering
axis and a vertical line when viewed from each
side of the vehicle. Positive castor is indicated
when the steering axis is inclined towards the
rear of the vehicle at its upper end.
Steering axis inclination, is the angle when
viewed from the front or rear of the vehicle
between vertical and an imaginary line drawn
between the upper and lower suspension
strut mountings.
Toe,is the amount by which the distance
between the front inside edges of the
roadwheel rims differs from that between the
rear inside edges.
3If the distance between the front edges is
less than that at the rear, the wheels are said
to toe-in. If the distance between the front
inside edges is greater than that at the rear,
the wheels toe-out.
4Camber and castor are set during
production of the car and are not adjustable.
Any deviation from specification will be due tocollision damage or to gross wear in the
components concerned.
5To check the front wheel alignment, first
make sure that the lengths of both tie-rods are
equal when the steering is in the straight-ahead
position. Measure between the locknut at the
balljoint and the ball cup at the end of the rack
housing by passing a thin rod under the rack of
the gaiter. If adjustment is required, release the
locknut and turn the tie-rod.
6Obtain a tracking gauge. These are
available in various forms from accessory
stores or one can be fabricated from a length
of steel tubing suitably cranked to clear the
sump and bellhousing and having a setscrew
and locknut at one end.
7With the gauge, measure the distance
between the two wheel inner rims (at hub
height) at the rear of the wheel. Push the
vehicle forward to rotate the wheel through
180º (half a turn) and measure the distance
between the wheel inner rims, again at hub
height, at the front of the wheel. This last
measurement should differ from (be less than)
the first by the appropriate toe-in according to
the Specification (see Specifications Section).
8Where the toe-in is found to be incorrect,
release the tie-rod balljoint locknuts and turn
the tie-rods equally. Only turn them a quarter
of a turn at a time before re-checking the
alignment. Viewed from the centre line of the
car, turning the tie-rod clockwise will
decrease the toe-in.
9Make sure that the gaiter outboard clip isreleased otherwise the gaiter will twist as the
tie-rod is rotated.
10Always turn both rods in the same
direction when viewed from the centre line of
the vehicle otherwise the rods will become
unequal in length. This would cause the
steering wheel spoke position to alter and
cause problems on turns with tyre scrubbing.
11On completion, tighten the tie-rod balljoint
locknuts without altering their setting. Check
that the balljoint is at the centre of its arc of
travel and then retighten the gaiter clip.
9 Steering column lock-
removal and refitting
1
1Remove the steering wheel and column
shrouds as described in Section 5, also the
steering column combination switch.
2Unscrew and remove the steering column
mounting bolts and lower the column to
expose the lock shear bolts.
3Drill out the bolts or extract them using an
extractor.
4Refer to Chapter 4 for details of separation
of the ignition switch from the lock section.
5When fitting the new lock, tighten the shear
bolts until their heads break off.
6Bolt up the column, fit the combination
switch, shrouds and steering wheel and
tighten all nuts and bolts to the specified
torque.
10•4 Steering
Fig. 10.9 Steering column lock shear bolts
(arrowed) (Sec 9)
Fig. 10.8 Front wheel alignment diagram
(Sec 8)
X Front dimension Y - X = Toe-in
Y Rear dimension
Fig. 10.7 Castor angle (Sec 8)
A Vertical line B Castor angle (positive)
Fault finding - steering
require maintenance other than general
inspection for wear in the linkage joints. If
excessive wear is found in any of the joints, they
can be individually detached and renewed.
13Access to the control rods is eased by
detaching and lowering the exhaust system
from the exhaust manifold.
14If a new adjustable control rod is to be
fitted, remove the original rod as a unit, but do
not alter its adjustment for length. The new
rod can then (if required) be set to the same
length as the original in order to maintain the
original setting. Do so by loosening off the
locknut and turning the balljoint as required;
ensure that the angle of the joint is correct
before tightening the locknut.
15Access to the gear lever/main connecting
rod joint from above is made by prising back
the gear lever gaiter from the centre console.
Access from underneath can be made by
raising and supporting the car on axle stands.
Working from the underside of the lever, undo
the retaining nuts and remove the inspection
plate from the floor (photos).
16Any adjustment to the gear linkage should
be entrusted to a FIAT dealer.
Transmission -
removal and refitting#
17The transmission can be removed
together with the engine and then separated
as described in Section 7, or on its own (as
described below), leaving the engine in
position in the car. Before starting to remove
the transmission, it should be noted that
suitable equipment will be required to support
the engine during this procedure.
18Disconnect the battery negative lead.
19Remove the bonnet as described in
Chapter 12.
20Refer to Section 11 in this Chapter for
details and detach the clutch operating
cylinder together with its mounting bracket
from the top of the transmission, but do not
disconnect the hydraulic fluid hose from the
cylinder connection. Leave the cylinder
attached to the bracket. Tie the cylinder and
bracket up to support them out of the way.
21Reaching down between the transmission
and the bulkhead, unscrew the knurled
retaining nut and withdraw the speedometer
cable from the transmission.
22Remove the front roadwheel trims, then
loosen off the front wheel retaining bolts.
Raise the vehicle and support it on axle
stands at a suitable height to allow working
underneath and eventual transmission
removal from under the front end.
23Drain the transmission oil as described
previously in this Section.
24Disconnect and remove the starter motor
(photos).
25Detach the reversing light switch lead
connector.
26Undo the retaining bolt and detach the
earth lead from the rear end of the
transmission (see photo 7C.33). Refit the bolt
once the lead has been disconnected.
13•96 Supplement: Revisions and information on later models
12B.15B Access cover to gear lever lower
connection to rod on the 1372 cc engine
Fig. 13.92 Exploded view of the gear selector and control road assembly components
fitted to 1372 cc models (Sec 12)
12B.15A Gear lever connection to the main
connecting rod on the 1372 cc engine
Fig. 13.91 Exploded view of the gear selector lever, rod and linkage components on
1372 cc models (Sec 12)
adjustment procedures are the same as those
outlined for the previous model units in
Chapter 9, but ensure that the load
compensation lever is turned to the “O”
(normal load setting) position before making
any adjustments.
Headlamp unit removal - later
models
32The removal and refitting procedures
described in Chapter 9 also apply to the later
headlamp type, but note that later units are
secured in position by three retaining screws.
Headlamp dim-dip system -
description
33On later models, the wiring circuit has
been modified to prevent the car being drivenon parking lamps only in built-up areas.
34Headlamp intensity is reduced by the
transformer located at the front of the engine
compartment (photo).
35Any attempt to start the car with parking
lamps only on will automatically cause the
headlamps to switch on with a low-intensity
dipped beam. Dipped and main beam
function normally.
36The headlamp dim-dip system is a legal
requirement for all UK models registered after
April 1st, 1987.
Front fog lamps - bulb/unit
removal and refitting
and beam adjustment
ª
37Ensure that the front fog lamps are
switched off, then unscrew the two retainingscrews and withdraw the lamp unit from the
underside of the front bumper (photos).
38Undo the retaining screw and remove the
access cover from the unit (photo).
39Disconnect the wiring connector from the
bulb, release the clips and withdraw the bulb
from the lamp (photo).
40Refit in the reverse order of removal.
Check the light for satisfactory operation and
if the beam requires resetting, turn the
adjustment screw in the required direction.
41To adjust the beam, position the car 5 m
from, and square on to, a wall or similar.
42Measure the height of the centre of the
lamp lens from the ground and mark the
position on the wall. Switch on the lamp. The
demarcation line (cut-off) of the light should
be below the mark on the wall by 50 mm plus
one-third of the ground-to-lamp centre
measurement. Adjust the beam as required
using the long centre screw.
Horn - relocation
43The single horn, on applicable models, is
now located behind the grille, bolted on a
bracket attached to the top rail (photo).
Steering column combination
switches (later models) -
removal and refitting
Á
44Disconnect the battery negative lead.
45Undo the retaining screws and remove
the steering column shrouds (photos).
46Remove the steering wheel as described
in Chapter 10.
13•106 Supplement: Revisions and information on later models
15.45B . . . then remove the upper . . .15.45A Undo the retaining screws . . .15.43 Horn location
15.39 . . . detach the wires, extract the bulb15.38 . . . remove the rear cover . . .
15.37B . . . and withdraw the front fog lamp
unit . . .15.37A Undo the retaining bolts . . .15.34 Headlamp dim-dip transformer